December 19, 1918] 



NATURE 



3i5 



commencement of the war, and especial!} during the 

 present year, lias been the increasing prominence ol 

 the work of physiologists; thus the problems of wai 



1>\ pois.ni gas, ..I aviation, and of surgical shock cad 



in solution on the lines of experimental physiology. 

 It has often been said in the past that British physio- 

 s, though second to none, have nol established 

 and maintained sufficient!) close contaci with 

 clinicians, and this statement, like its converse, is 

 incontestable correct. In this connection, however, fine 

 distinctions cannot I"- made between academii and 

 practically applied science; it is for the academic 

 worker to discover, and for the practical worker to 

 apply. This is strildngl) shown by the- application of 

 the researches ot Prof. Bayliss on colloids to the- treat- 

 ment of surgical shock, which takes the practical 

 form of the injection of gum solutions to restore the 

 deficient circulation underlying shock. Practical sur- 

 ,11. .1 in in inn \]m 1 led u .i\ from the 

 ol put 1 h ai • 'iii-s, 



sely, En the investigation of the restricted 



ling and distress following exposure to poisonous 



s, Mr. Barcrofl and Dr. Haldane have not onh 



been aide to suggest valuable lines of treatment, but 



have led important new facts in the physio- 



' respiration. 



I he work reported in the present publication is 



divided into three sections, viz. the work of the Cen- 

 tral Research Institute, the researches framed bi fore 

 the war, and the work in connection with the war. 

 •dies are, to a great extent, interdependent. 



Ii is impossibli to give here even a brief summarj of 



the important work which lias been carried out, or 

 of the valuable results which have followed from such 



work carried out, under the auspices id the Medical 

 Research Committee. [Tie present iep.ui is itself such 

 a brief summarv of work done or projected, and in it 

 reference is made to more than 150 published papers 

 and reports on these various subjects. It is to this 

 annual report and to the publications therein nien- 

 1 thai the reader should refer for detailed 



ai ' "VllltS. 



\mong the subjects ot investigation which have 

 yielded important results are those connected with 

 problems of national physique mentioned above, with 

 diseases of the heaii and nervous system, and with the 

 studv of diabetes. Thesi an n searches commenced 

 or framed before the commencement of the war. In 

 connection with the war the information which has 

 been elicited is often of a confidential nature, but much 

 of it has alreadv been made current. Valuable ser- 

 vice lias been rendered by the Committee to research 

 workers at bom.- and abroad, both by the provision of 

 special apparatus not procurable through the usual 

 channels of Armv supply, and by the dissemination of 

 information. With regard to the latter, the monthly 

 Medical Supplement," containing abstracts of foreign 



(including enemy) scientific medical work, which have 



the Committee for publication bv the 



Wat Office General Staff, has been much appreciated. 



The most important investigations carried out in 



connection with the war are those dealing with 



the medical history of the war, the treatment of in- 



d wounds, te, dysentery, typhoid, 



..-spinal fever, trench nephritis, soldier,' heart, 



wounds, surgical shock, "gassed" cases, brain 



injuries, T.N.T. poisoning, etc. Special mention 



should also I..- made of investigations of medical 



problems connected with flying, and witli the testing 



of aviators as to suitability for flight. Investigations 



connected with the manufacture and administration 



also in progress. Researches into the 



epidemiology "f phthisis, measles, whooping-cough, 



plague, and influenza are also occupying the 



tion of various workers under the Commit 

 2564, VOL. I02] 



THE BRITISH GLASSWARE INDUSTRY. 



'PIN-: British Chemical Wan Manufacturers' Associa- 



1 tion, the British Flint Glass Manufacturers' Vsso- 



ciation, tin- British Lamp-blown Scientific Glassware 



Manufacturers' Association, and lb.- British Laboratory 

 Ware Association — organisations representing the 

 manufacture ami distribution ol scientific glassware 



have- jointly addressed the Inter-Departmental (.lass 

 Trades Committee, representing the Hoard of Trade 

 and the Department of Optical .Munitions and Glass- 

 ware Supply (Ministry of Munitions), si tting forth 

 their views as to the steps which should I..- taken to 

 secure the permanent establishment of the trade- in 

 this country. They point out that in 1014 the shortage 

 ol scientific glassware threatened disaster. indus- 

 tries such as agriculture, food production of all kinds, 

 and the manufacture .d armaments, iron and steel, 

 non-ferrous metals, gas, dyes, explosives, leather, and 

 oil, also our military and civil medical services and the 

 public services responsible for public health and 

 hygiene, which could not be- conducted without 

 efficient scientific control, were- in clanger. The 

 "master key" to tin maintenance of our position, 

 and to ultimate- victory, was for the moment in the 

 hands of our enemies. 



During tin- war the- energv and enterprise of our 

 manufacturers have enabled them to build up the 

 industry and to supply all the requirements of the 

 country, but having alvvavs b. fore them the immediate 

 needs of the country rather than the: future of the 

 industry, the position in which they now find them- 

 selves is highly unfavourable compared with that of 

 manufacturers in enemy and neutral countries. Sine. 

 the outbreak of the war the cost of materials has risen 

 threefold and wages have- doubled. The cost of ex- 

 perimental work, the payment of excess profits duty, 

 and the heavy charges on capital account have made 

 it impossible to accumulate the funds necessary for 

 the proper financing of the industry; and even so far 

 as monev has been available-, there has been great 

 difficulty in procuring material for the construction 

 of buildings and furnaces suitable in quantity and 

 quality. The labour difficulty and the calling up of 

 all lads of eighteen years of age have seriously ham- 

 pered the industry. 



In view of the importance of the industry, the 

 associations petition the Government to prohibit the 

 importation of scientific glassware into the country, 

 subject not only to licences being granted in the- case of 

 articles not manufactured in the country, but also to 

 the control of prices, and later to impose a duty upon 

 imported goods. They also direct attention to the 

 need for financial assistance, and for aid in carrying 

 out those scientific and technical investigations which 

 are essential if the industry is to be established per- 

 manently in the countrv. 



THE ANTARCTIC ICE-CAP AND ITS 

 BORDERS A 



T IIOCI. II much of the foundation of the- Antarctic 

 ice-cap is certainlv elevated land, it is quite 

 possible that elsewhere the dome rests upon a floor 

 actually below sea-level. In any case-, it is most 

 probable that the- smooth ice-surface masks a very 

 irregular rock-basement. The- thickness of the ice 

 may, therefore, be expected to be extreme!) variable, 

 no doubt niching a maximum of several thousand 



lei I. 



An ice-formation of such magnitude introduces 

 questions relating to the flow of its substance and 



1 Int'oduction of a discussion at the Geological Society on November 6, 



